Pharaoh Kurunta

[Kendji]

In over 300h I haven't ever attempted anything like this. As a Hittite or Egyptian faction I've always eventually gone with the relevant throne of said faction. This time I'm planning to take Tarhuntassa, then Parha, then Alashiya. The plan is to go with the Egyptian throne as Kurunta. When invading Egypt as Hatti it has usually been as Great King and and in late game. Though there is no real big strategic plan on how to do this after making landfall. Should you vassalize everybody and play divide and rule? Maybe ally Libu factions and fight Egyptians? Thus putting effort into boosting diplomatic relations and take them out one by one or use them to invade Hatti for you at a later date. Should you go a military route? Which would be kinda tedious and time consuming. Which legacy would suite Egyptian Kurunta? Essentially tips on how to do this in practise, pitfalls, successes etc. Anyone with ideas?

[Iskar]

Looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel.
How about Arunassa for Ugarit? It is after all the largest port of the area.

[Kendji]

I think this great God Iskar promised his homie the stag-god Kurunta a sensible and non-grindy campaign. Now he promises light at the end of the tunnel xD.

In Ugarit found these tablets, where the former King Ammurapi victim blames my poor nephiew once removed, Suppiluliuma. Something 'My father, behold, the enemy's ships came...' bla bla. Kurunta needs to reinvest and repopulate the dump. Maybe Parsarunassa, if my amateur Luwo-Hittite is accurate, something like owned by broken Aruna. Though my head is spinning on svo sov etc. :D

[Iskar]

Originally posted by Kendji:

I think this great God Iskar promised his homie the stag-god Kurunta a sensible and non-grindy campaign. Now he promises light at the end of the tunnel xD.

In Ugarit found these tablets, where the former King Ammurapi victim blames my poor nephiew once removed, Suppiluliuma. Something 'My father, behold, the enemy's ships came...' bla bla. Kurunta needs to reinvest and repopulate the dump. Maybe Parsarunassa, if my amateur Luwo-Hittite is accurate, something like owned by broken Aruna. Though my head is spinning on svo sov etc. :D

It seems that the divinations of my priests were maliciously perturbed by scheming Seth. I defended Cyprus with Suppi in my last campaign against the sea peoples with one army plus built up garrisons, so I had not anticipated that being such a problem. Maybe Suppi is much easier on defense, though, due to his boosted garrison buildings.

[Kendji]

I suppose it may be differences in campaign settings, the veteran difficulty automatically max out the sea peoples I think, so the place got hit by many of them. Plus I'm using Xanth's rebalance, which in mid-late game punishes you more if you still employ low armoured militia vs tier 5 sea peoples. Yes, Set must pay for this scheeming..

[Kendji]

An situational update VIII
At Turn 150
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3211238283
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3211237677

At Turn 160 (Victory)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3211237362


I'm currently at turn 170, I was at that cross-roads I mentioned in the previous update. A decision was made to actually not rush the throne, for once there is relative peace. The Stacks that are around are battered and often equipped with veteran, but old units and might need re-equipping. Some cities are in need of upgrading, economy needs attention. I decided to defer challenging the throne. I might have won, probably had won the war. Amenmesse would however have not been eliminated as a challenge and could launch an civil war against me later. Now I'm essentially building up stacks, positioning etc. to then do this hopefully properly, so I can nip any potential second civil war in the bud for later on. Though I actually got an minor victory already lol :D

[i-dot]

Exciting!

[Kendji]

An situational update IX (Turn 180, D-day)
Civil War starts, I need to gain those legitimacy asap. There will be battles.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213155486
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213154542

Marry me, aren't I pretty?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213168115

Strategic situation and Economy
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213154350
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213154628
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213190923

The economy is now more stable vs at turn 150. There's also 4 full-stacks conducting the war vs 2 if the war had started earlier. A fifth is on the way from the north.

[Iskar]

Looking forward to how that conflict with Amenmesse will play out.
Are the other Hittites giving you a hard time in Anatolia or are your possessions there safe after the invasions ended?

[Kendji]

They (Anatolia) where under threat, Kurunta kept loosing some minor settlements repetedly. Sea peoples who took the land routed and came from the north. Now I think Kurunta has all the fullstacks down south, the Sea Peoples are mostly dead and the Libu are being funneled into AI territory. In the early game, Kurunta would frequently swear fealty to Suppiluliuma and have him peace out my enemies, though he kept booting me into independence when I got into too much trouble/wars. Then I would go beg him for help again after a while. Trade witv him is good. He's my bff. Suppiluliuma has sort off kept my Anatolian flank clear, he fights Phyrgians, Kaskians etc. periodically. Works for me. It was maybe the smartest move I made strategically so far.

I think I'm at turn 189 now, will probably make an new update later, but in short, it looks bad for Amenmesse. With the fall of Mennefer I robbed legitimacy from Amenmesse and got an boost myself. I'm in the lead, though Mennefer is currently under siege by an vassal of Amenmesse... :D It isn't over for him but looks bad. He has given me a few defeats and blunted my assaults, though he has kept losing settlements. There is also a boss battle coming in a siege, Kurunta vs Amenmesse's armies, if Amenmesse don't chicken out and flee. :D

[Kendji]

An situational update X (for anyone interested)

Fighting around Mennefer, the fighting there wasn't actually too hard, also the Thutmose legacy forces spawned as reinforcements in the first battle, but then they vanished from the roster. Considering the gold I spent on them, they turned out to be one trick ponies. I started the war as a blitz south so Amenmesse didn't have too many stacks up notrh. He was kinda unprepared for this bloody coup attempt. Though the forces that Amenmesse had around didn't at least give up without a fight, had to fight three battles before the city fell.
1st battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ERxQEdgG8
2nd battle: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213878649
3rd battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFYrnAKA0lc

Re-moddeling Mennefer to 'Anguish and Behold'. The settlement has 24 legitimacy just in monuments alone. That's essentially me closing the legitimacy distance with 48 towards (past) Amenmesse. Pre-war Amenmesse had 338 and Kurunta 284. That's how key this city is to swinging things. Then combined with the fall of other smaller settlements Kurunta is in the lead atm.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213308504
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213892852

The strategic and operational battleplan, enjoy my painting skills (see below). I actually initially got my butt handed to me on that Oasis in the bottom left corner. Almost lost my stack. They have an mostly tier 6 army there with lots of tier 6 chariots plus big garrison. While that coward Amenmesse is hiding out with a fullstack in Shedut. As for the bronze producing Khem, Kurunta raized his flag there, but then Amenmess retook it, with a fullstack, so there's a siege ongoing to re-re-conquer it, poor peasants and miners living there though, all these armies coming through town constantly..
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3213899366

[Kendji]

An situational update XI (for anyone interested)

Tausert tried to save her new 'master', she failed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvsLgJ1KYkU

Beating Amenmesse's force, pretty fun choak point battle 'on the nile'. Amenmesse got thaught an lesson, don't flee a well defended position.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214097778
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w49cM1rqrVk

Wehat Mehtet, took me the hole civil war to take this Oasis from Amenmesse. The first battles around this Oasis where losses, almost wiping my stack there. Had to replenish and recruit an lighter stack to support taking the settlement. Eventually I ended up taking the settlement. With a bit of Ramsey Bolton inspired tactics, feeding the Libu into their own kin's fire. Useing their bodies to drain Amenmesse's loyalists ammunition. His army here where maybe the best quality I saw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4XVOMEvdGc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI40Ggnj2PI

Victory, incl Major Victory.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214096822 - Egypt is mine!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214094919 - Court
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214096124 - Empire
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3214095518 - Economy

Future
Now then, I've achieved my goal, Kurunta is now Pharaoh Kurunta. Should I start an new casual campaign or an new AAR (Like this thread) or continue to ultimate victory with Kurunta or what? I honestly don't know. It took me waaay longer than anticipated to become Pharaoh, thought it would've been a cake walk. My previous record for the longest campaign was 180-ish turns, this campaign is now my longest one. It went somewhat according to plan until Kurunta hit Iskarassa, already then the time table had had to be pushed forwards, due to economical reasons. After that sea peoples showed up and sh*t hit the fan, just surviving took most of Kurunta's resources. I'm even questioning now if the sea route is actually faster than the land rout through Canaan, though Canaan's coast would of been hit by sea peoples too. The experience has been a bit of a roller coaster, there have been a few moments during the campaign where I've wanted to give up, because the challenge then felt to large to overcome. Though I have to say, overcoming those challenges has made this one of my favorite campaigns in-game so far. I sort of wish there would be another Empire around, to which I would need to be Pharaoh and have all Egypt under my control or as vassals, to then divert all energy towards in an 'great war' type of situation.

[Welsh Dragon]

Bookmarked to read later.

Keep up the good work. 👍

All the Best,

Welsh Dragon.

[Iskar]

That's really cool stuff. It was very intriguing to read. :D